The B-Series product line provides high port density in a 1U footprint
and is environmentally friendly by design. By maximizing port density
within a given amount of rack space, the B3 minimizes its cooling
requirements. The B3’s overall electrical requirement is further reduced
by a low current draw and an extreme tolerance for high environmental
temperatures. A highly-scalable architecture and a lifetime warranty
ensures that a B3 network investment will sustain a secure, feature-rich,
and cost-effective network well into the future.
Reliability and Availability
The B3 design incorporates redundancy and failure protection
mechanisms complete with automatic failover and recovery capabilities
to provide a reliable network. An integral power supply is the primary
source of power for the B3 and complete power redundancy is provided
by an optional external power supply. In addition to the standard version
of the B3, there is also a redundant Power over Ethernet (PoE) version of
the B3 which supports network devices that require external power such
as wireless access points, VoIP phones, and network cameras. A virtual
switch can be created by interconnecting as many as 8 B3s in a single
stack, which can be managed via a single IP address with redundant
management connections. The B3’s closed-loop stacking (CLS) capability
utilizes bi-directional switch interconnects to maintain connectivity
within the virtual switch despite any physical switch-level failure. Up to 8
Ethernet ports can be grouped together to create a multi-link aggregation
group (LAG). A LAG’s Ethernet ports can be collocated on a single B3 or
they can be distributed across multiple B3s within a stack to prevent a
switch-level failure from disrupting data communications.
Advanced Quality of Service
Robust QoS features enable strong support for integrated multimedia
networks, including VoIP and video, as well as all types of data-intensive
applications. With an optional policy license, the B3 provides highly
customizable Layer 2/3/4 packet classification capabilities, which can
be based upon physical port ID, MAC address, IP subnet, IP address,
IP protocol type, IP Type of Service (ToS), differentiated services code
point (DSCP), and TCP/UDP port. The B3 provides 8 hardware-based
priority queues per Ethernet port, which work together with its packet
classification capabilities to support a suite of differentiated services
with as many as 8 distinct priority levels. The strict and weighted round
robin queuing algorithms ensure that mission-critical applications receive
prioritized access to network resources.
Security
The B3 provides a secure network by utilizing its authentication and
security features, which can be applied at the port level or at the user
level. Making use of the NMS Policy Manager or a standard CLI, the
Enterasys role-based architecture enables a network administrator to
define distinct roles or profiles that represent operational groups within
a business (e.g., employee, executive, guest, etc). Multiple users/
devices per port can be authenticated via IEEE 802.1X, MAC address,
or web authentication, and then assigned a pre-defined operational
role. Administrators can easily transition from RFC 3580 and complex
ACL deployments to the Enterasys role-based policy framework in a
seamless fashion, without the need to make changes to their RADIUS
infrastructure (e.g., adding filter-ID). In addition, the B3 also supports
DiffServ and access control lists (ACLs) for supplementary network
security. Network operations can be easily tailored to meet business-
oriented requirements by providing each role with individualized access
to network services and applications (e.g., a guest should have different
network access privileges than an employee).
Investment Protection
The B3 is a cost-effective, feature-rich, stackable switch that provides
a broad set of features today and will continue to deliver benefits well
into the future. Customers can grow and/or enhance their networks while
protecting their investment by adding B3s into existing B-Series networks
and/or stacks. When multiple B3s are stacked together, each switch in
the stack assumes the feature set that is common to all switches in the
stack to ensure operational compatibility. All B-Series products include
a lifetime warranty that continues for 5 years after the date of product
discontinuation. For more information regarding warranty terms and
conditions please go to http://www.enterasys.com/support/warranty.aspx.
Performance & Scalability
The B3 provides scalable, wire-rate performance in support of the
bandwidth-intensive and delay-sensitive requirements of today’s
demanding applications. Along with a switch capacity of 144 Gbps, the
B3 provides up to 48 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports as well as 4 Gigabit
Ethernet uplink combo ports. Leveraging the B3’s wire-rate stacking
capability, as many as 8 B3s (both 24-port and 48-port combinations)
can be interconnected in a single stack to create a virtual switch that
provides 1.15 Tbps of capacity and up to 384 10/100/1000 Ethernet
ports as well as 32 Gigabit Ethernet uplink combo ports. The B3
supports hundreds of distinct policies (rules) that enable granular
definition of network access capabilities for each role, thus aligning
network resource utilization with business goals and priorities.
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